


Swords and Shields

by TextualDeviance



Category: DC Cinematic Universe, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), Wonder Woman (2017)
Genre: Crossover, F/F, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 11:43:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11184405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TextualDeviance/pseuds/TextualDeviance
Summary: An accident with her portal-cleaving sword leaves Sif stranded on Earth shortly after WWI. Fortunately, there is another warrior woman there to greet her.





	Swords and Shields

**Author's Note:**

> Set a couple of years after the end of Wonder Woman, and between Sif's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D appearances and Thor: Ragnarok.

There was no telling how long she had plummeted through the firmament. All Sif remembered was that a moment ago—or perhaps it was a lifetime, she couldn't be sure—she was in Asgard, sparring with Fandral, and now she was falling like a stone toward a turquoise-blue sea on the planet beneath her.

The surface of the water felt hard to her skin as she hit it, and her armor, heavy and thick, dragged her down farther below than even her velocity would otherwise have done. Her shield, mounted on her backplate, weighed her down further, but at least it being parked there left one arm free. Her sword she briefly considered dropping, to aid her in her fight toward air, but she simply couldn't let it go. Kicking as hard as she could—which was not inconsiderable, given her gifts—she pushed and pushed, lungs burning, until she broke free. Gulping air like a starving beast finally presented with food, she bobbed, slipping her sword into its shield-integrated sheath and looking around to figure out where she could possibly have landed.

It wasn't the first time that something like this had happened. When Odin first gifted her the sword, and she experimented with its power to cleave through reality itself and open doors to other places, she had managed to tumble onto a distant planet. That one was populated, at least in the part she had landed in, primarily by carnivorous plants and their tiny arthropod and reptilian prey. Fighting free of those and figuring out a way back to Asgard had been relatively easy. Over her long years, she learned more about the weapon and its abilities, and was able to intentionally draw the patterns to open and close portals as she wished. However, on occasion there was still an accidental opening. Usually, she could simply avoid the rift until it closed on its own, but this time, she had lost her footing, and spilled through. On first glance, the body of water in which she bobbed looked like one in her own realm, or perhaps one from Midgard, which her friend Thor was so fond of visiting, given that his beloved lived there. There were sea creatures in the clear water below her and shore birds screeching overhead. The blue sky with its yellow sun did seem familiar to her recollection. Yet truly, the vast, salty sea could have been anywhere. In the distance, in the direction of the sunrise, was a spit of mountainous land. Drawing a deep breath for stamina and being grateful that at least the water was warm, she began to swim.

***

"Greece," Diana had learned that this land was still called. A party to the war she had recently helped end, some areas were in a rough state as the country recovered, but its people were hardy and cheerful, and had already done much to repair the damage. She had enjoyed touring the country's ancient ruins, decaying with their significant age, but at least untouched by the war, but their familiar design only made her melancholy. As she sat on a wall overlooking the brilliant waters of the Aegean Sea, dotted with familiar-looking islands, she couldn't help but feel terribly homesick. She couldn't return home to Themiscyra, as her mother had said, and she mourned the loss of all her beloved friends and sisters there. Women in this world were so very restricted compared to the freedoms she had become used to; most did not have a say in their governments, and could not even own their homes or determine their own destinies without the permission of some man or other. She could tell that there was a fire burning in each one she had met, and some had kindled that into fine forges for their own deeds, but for far too many, their fires were but candle flames, wavering under the hurricane-force winds of the domineering men who surrounded them. She often found herself swallowing down wave after wave of rage, watching yet another disrespectful man treating the woman with him as if she were less than a farm animal. Sometimes, the rage was too much to bear; some men got an earful and a few more than that. More than a few women had also been the recipients of whispered support and wisdom, encouraging them to take what control they could over their own lives.

Yet as with the human tendency to war, this custom of caging women's spirits had become something she was forced to accept as a part of the world she now lived in. She only hoped that someday they could all feel the same freedoms as any Amazon who lived in that beautiful land so closed off to her now.

For a moment, she thought the spark of light on the water was just a trick of the eye—perhaps something she saw incorrectly due to the tears that she had been blinking away in her grief. Yet as she watched, it became clear: The object was moving, and yet was not dipping below the water as a sea mammal would have done after surfacing for breath. Rubbing her eyes and letting her god powers through, she focused, and could finally see what was out there: A person. A woman! And one wearing shiny armor in a style not entirely unlike her own. Scrambling to her feet and shimmying out of the dress she'd been hiding under, she leapt from her perch and dove.

***

The glittering, blue-and-red streak coming down from the cliffs in the distance surprised her, nearly as much as the colossal splash that followed when the figure entered the water some leagues away. Perhaps even more shockingly, the figure made up that distance in a ridiculously fast amount of time. Sensing potential danger, Sif drew her sword and shield and squared her shoulders. She hadn't done much fighting in the water, but she could at least give it a try. "Hello there!" she called, her tone friendly but not without strength. "Who are you? What is this place?"

The other woman, having come close, drew her own weapon. "I am Diana." Her voice was resonant, tinged with a pleasing accent. "Who are you?"

"My name is Sif. I am a warrior of Asgard, though I intend no attack. I am not sure how I came to this place." She spun in place as the woman circled her. Majestic, with strong features and hair as long, silky and black as her own, Diana radiated power and confidence. For perhaps the first time in her life, Sif felt slightly intimidated. And, she flushed to realize, somewhat excited.

Diana lowered her weapon and relaxed her posture. "Asgard?" she frowned. "I have heard of this, but only in context of the old gods of the North."

Sif, sensing the tension between them fading, dropped her arms. "That is one of the tales told of my people. Asgard is a distant planet—my homeworld. Is this Earth?"

Diana nodded. "It is indeed. The land behind me is called Greece, on a continent called Europe. Do you know of it?"

"I do, though the Earth places I am familiar with are different than this one." A small aircraft buzzed over their heads, on its way to a nearby island. It was a quaint sort of thing; very unlike the relatively advanced technology with which she was familiar from her previous experiences of this world. She frowned. "Pray tell, do you know the number of the Earth year we are presently in?"

"Nineteen twenty," Diana replied. "Is that not what you would expect?"

Sif shook her head. "No. The Earth I know is nearly one hundred of its years advanced from now. I believe I must have traveled not only through space but time." She suppressed an inward shudder. This was a part of her sword's abilities that she had not before tested; she wondered whether she could recreate the gesture she had accidently used to get here to return home. Heimdall's powers did include seeing through time, but unless he were specifically looking for her, he might not hear her call to open the Bifrost for her.

Diana looked surprised, but not exceptionally so. Perhaps such travel was something with which she was not unfamiliar. "It is not intentional that you are here, then."

"Not at all. At the moment, however, I feel I must find land. My armor grows heavy, and I fear it will rust should it become more waterlogged."

"I understand!" Diana smiled at her. "Come. Sheath your sword and we shall make our way toward shore. I am staying in a small cottage nearby. We can dry our things there and I will make you a meal."

"That is very kind of you, Diana." Tucking away her sword and shield, as did the other woman, she began making her way toward the rocky land nearby.

The cottage was indeed small, but cozy and warm. Considering that Sif was now entirely naked under the soft blanket her new friend had provided, this was a very good thing. Diana herself had also partly disrobed, placing her own dampened kit next to Sif's by the crackling fire in the hearth, but was not quite so modest. She sat at the table fully at ease, sipping a cup of strong tea, shoulders squared and breasts proudly free. Her own people being somewhat less comfortable with casual nudity, Sif's instinct was to keep her eyes turned away, yet she could not help but take in the sight anyway. She felt a spreading fire in her belly that could not be ascribed to blanket, tea, or the freshly baked, honey-laced pastry she ate.

"So, what do you know of this world?" Diana asked between bites of her own meal.

"Little, I am afraid. I have come here a few times, for important missions, but I have not spent more than a few of this planet's days here. The places I have been to were very different from this one, however. Most of my time was spent in a desert, in a place called America. This, you say, is Greece?"

"It is indeed, though I know little of the country in its current state. I am afraid I may not know much more of it than you. I am not from here myself—at least not exactly."

Sif cocked her head. "Are you from another planet, too?"

"Another realm, more like. I come from a hidden island in the sea. Not terribly far from here in distance, but significantly so in accessibility. I did not know much of this world until only very recently."

"How did you come here, then?"

Diana smiled wistfully. A pain she clearly tried to suppress flickered across her face. "That is a long story, and one which I will tell you at some point, perhaps. But I would like to know more about how you arrived in the middle of the sea!"

"My sword," Sif nodded toward the item, leaning against a wall nearby. "It has a magical ability that I can usually control. If I cleave a certain figure in the air, it will open a door to distant places. I usually do so deliberately, but this time, it opened as I was falling, and, well, here I am. I am hoping that somehow, I can discover another figure that can get me back to Asgard; back to my friends."

Diana nodded. "Tell me more about Asgard."

"It is one of the nine realms of Yggdrasil. My people were once worshipped as gods by an ancient race that lived in the north of this continent—that you know. We are not gods per se, however, but compared to mortal humans we are indeed very powerful."

Diana's cheeks took on a pink flush. "Yes, of course." She half-smiled and looked away. "My people . . . well, we _are_ gods, of a sort. We were once worshipped here as well, though that time is long past. Earth people now think of us, too, as only the stories of a primitive society. I have learned that they have new gods now. The most popular in this part of the world is a single god, and his son. There are other gods adhered to elsewhere. It is a very complex thing."

"That is my understanding, yes."

"Well, you are welcome to stay in this cottage with me as long as you like," Diana said, patting Sif's shoulder gently, "until you are able to find a way back to your home. We are women both adrift in this world, it seems. Perhaps we shall gain some solace together."

***

Barely two weeks passed, and their friendship grew fast and strong. Diana found herself with a keen affinity for the Asgardian. Having grown up around women warriors, knowing so few in this world had broken her heart. Finding another one by happy chance had given her mood a significant boost. They sparred on the rocky shore each morning, keeping their skills fresh and giving Sif a chance to attempt to recreate the sign that had opened her portal. Diana was somewhat more powerful, but Sif gave as good as she got; it was a thrill to scrap with someone whose prowess and abilities were so much more advanced than the humans she had fought during the war.

One warm Saturday, after a particularly rousing battle, Sif stood over her friend, one end of her double-bladed sword at Diana's neck, having caught her off-guard.

"I yield!" Diana said, laughing.

Sif grinned, and extended a hand. "Admit it: You let me win."

Diana shook her head as the Asgardian pulled her to her feet. "I did not. Honestly! I let myself get distracted. You bested me fairly." She left unspoken the reason for the distraction, though it still remained: The sunrise had been particularly lovely this morning, and the pink and orange light that blanketed them highlighted the fascinating, topaz-colored patterns of Sif's eyes. Her cheeks were flushed the same shade as the scudding clouds. Her mouth looked soft and ripe. Not since losing Steve had Diana felt such a strong pull toward someone, and not since she left Themiscyra had she been so close to a woman. Yet she did not know whether Sif might have felt the same. On her home island, such a question would not have been difficult to answer. There were those who were uninterested in such pleasures and of course many who were bound in heart to one or more others, but generally, if one felt an attraction for a fellow Amazon, the feelings were simply stated, and if returned, then things progressed however they both wished.

This world was different, however. Diana had learned that even when not bound to another, most of the women she approached thus were shocked. Some reacted with horror or hostility. Some seemed to have a flicker of interest, but quickly withdrew, their inviting expressions clouded by fear and doubt. She had heard rumor that there were indeed many human women who had such feelings, but because their cultures punished such things with jail, commitment to an asylum or worse, they gathered only secretly, and Diana had not yet found such communities. She had sated some of her needs for pleasure with the occasional man, indulging her ongoing curiosity and fascination with their differences, but the bliss of entwining with the soft fullness of another woman's body was but a memory these days.

Sif, of course, was not constricted by the customs of this place, yet it was unclear whether Asgard's relative openness regarding the roles of women extended to permitting them to exercise any attraction to each other. Diana sensed some desire on her fellow warrior's part, but it had not been expressed in more clear terms. Not wanting to risk offending the friend she had grown to cherish, Diana therefore kept her feelings to herself.

"I would like a swim," Sif said, gazing out at the water. "It feels like the weather will be hot today and I would like to cool down from our sparring. Care to join me?" She began unbuckling her armor.

Diana's heart fluttered. "Of course!" she said, perhaps a bit too eagerly. Quickly stripping off her own kit, she followed the beautiful form into the lapping waves.

***

Sif felt her muscles unknot as she relaxed in the warm sea. The water seemed to caress her naked body, rinsing away the sweat and gently buffeting her about as she and her Amazonian friend swam and splashed. She still felt melancholy about being stuck on Earth, so far away from her home, but if she had to be somewhere else, at least it was with this wonder of a woman. Though there were many other women warriors in the nine realms, she had never yet met one who could meet her blow-for-blow, and the challenge was heady.

She had also never known a woman who made her feel quite this way. She recalled some crushes on girlhood friends, and one brief tryst with a fellow young soldier when she was first training, but that was very long ago. Since meeting Thor, virtually all her feelings along these lines had been aimed at him. There was a brief time, with Haldorr, where she thought she might be happy in love, but then Lorelei bewitched him, and he was lost to her. She had closed herself up after that, fearing love and intimacy with anyone, though still some part of her pined for Thor, hoping that someday he might come to recognize feelings for her. Now, however, it was all but certain those feelings would never come. He loved a human, and could see no other.

Perhaps it took being away from Asgard for her to realize the futility of her near-lifelong crush, but whatever the reason, Thor was now the farthest thing from her mind. A long-dormant fire had begun to build inside of her, and every day she spent with this intense, self-assured warrior, it threatened to become an inferno.

After some frolic, the two women grew quiet, watching the puffy clouds and noisy seabirds scud across the brilliant-blue sky.

A wistful look crossed Diana's face as she looked out over the water.

"You must miss it," Sif said softly, paddling toward her.

"My home? Yes. Very much. I know my duty lies here, but I ache for the life I used to know. I had to leave in a hurry, and I had no time to properly say goodbye to the people I loved."

"It seems like a unique place. No men, you say?"

Diana nodded. "By design. The Amazons were made to be a force of strength different from that of men. While we did not all have exactly the same physical forms, we were all women."

"Had you never met a man before you came here?"

"Indeed. It was a slightly odd experience. And a frustrating one. I have come to know plenty of men who, like the man I followed here, are not entirely without honor, but somehow, many of the men in this world have learned to be cruel, and many of the women have, out of fear of that cruelty, learned to become meek. I so wish they could come to my island, and learn what it means to be free. To be and be and enjoy companionship and love without the fear."

Sif's heart fluttered. "Love? Do you mean the love of friends?"

Diana turned to her and smiled. "Yes. And other kinds of love."

"Other kinds," Sif murmured.

"You have this kind of love on Asgard, yes? Love between women?"

Sif felt her thighs tremble. She tried to chalk it up to tiredness. "We do, though it is rarely spoken of."

Diana's voice became low and purring. "Is it something you have known?"

"Not exactly," Sif said, drawing closer, her own voice husky now.

"Is it something you would like to know?"

Sif could only stare at Diana's mouth, now but a hand's breadth away from her own. "Yes," she whispered.

***

What began in the water was quickly taken back to shore. A cool breeze drifted through the shutters, but Diana barely noticed, so subsumed was she in the lush strength of her Asgardian friend's body. The sun was dipping low on the horizon, and she had completed eleven of Cleo's twelve volumes before she even realized time had passed. The power and endurance each possessed was not limited only to battle; their capacity for pleasure stretched on and on. Where Diana had held back with the few human lovers she had had, being wary of their relative fragility, she was considerably less reticent with the Asgardian, their lovemaking every bit as intense as their sparring had been.

Still, even gods have their limits, and though her spirit wanted to continue their tryst well into the night, eventually they needed a break for food and rest. After a simple meal of olives, bread and cheese, they tumbled, exhausted, back into the bed to sleep.

When she awoke, Diana was surprised to find herself alone. Sif's clothes were missing, but her cuirass, sword and shield remained on the table where they had been left the night before. She heard a voice—no, voices—outside, and quickly threw a cloak about her and made her way to the door. She feared not for Sif's safety, as the woman could undoubtedly hold her own against any human threat even if not armed, but something in the tone of her friend's voice made her grab her sword anyway.

The Asgardian stood on the shore, next to a man roughly her height, his long, dark hair bound up in a knot high on the back of his head. Going by his style of dress and equipment, and the familiar way Sif spoke to him, Diana quickly surmised the man was one of Sif's own.

"Hello!" he called out to her, smiling. "You must be Diana. I am Hogun." He crossed his right arm in front of his chest and bowed slightly.

"A friend," Sif added. Her smile was weak, however. "He is one of the Warriors Three I told you about. We have fought together in many battles."

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance," Diana said, strolling up to them and offering a hand in greeting. "Any friend of Sif's must surely be a person of valor."

Hogun grinned and clasped her hand. "I certainly try to be, thank you."

Sif's weak smile returned. "Hogun found me. Apparently, my friends on Asgard have been searching for me for many days. It was his idea to have Heimdall search through time."

"So you can return home?" Diana tried to sound enthusiastic, but could not help feeling dismayed.

"I can, yes." Sif looked at the ground. "I must, in fact. My people need me."

"I see." The disappointment now could not be hidden.

Hogun shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "Heimdall knows where we are, now. He can wait for us for a little while."

Sif brightened. "Can you please excuse us while I get my things, then?"

"Of course." A knowing smile played at the corner of his mouth.

The women made their way back to the cottage in near silence. Once inside, Sif sank down on a low sofa and grumbled in frustration.

"Are you not excited to be going home finally?" Diana asked.

"I am, but . . ." Sif looked up. Her eyes were wet and pleading. "Is it possible you could come with me?"

Diana sighed. It seemed heartbreak might be her closest companion. She joined Sif on the sofa. "I so very much wish I could, but I cannot. I have pledged to serve and protect this world, and that requires me to stay here."

"I was afraid that might be the case." Sif rubbed her eyes. "What foul timing, though."

"Indeed." Diana reached for her friend's hands, clasping them tightly. "Last night was bliss for me. I wish it could never have ended. We both have our duties, though, and we are women of honor."

"That we are," Sif agreed. "I would not feel for you the way I do otherwise."

"Tell me, though: This Heimdall of whom you have spoken: Do you suppose he might be able to see me?"

Sif nodded. "He sees all within the nine realms, so long as his attention is not elsewhere."

"Then he shall see that I will think of you always. And should your path ever allow for it, perhaps he can help you find me again someday."

Sif smiled, though tears had begun to fall down her cheeks. "Someday," she echoed.

Brushing the tears away, Diana leaned in, and kissed her soundly.

 

It seemed ridiculous that in all her long years in this world, Diana had not managed to find a way to avoid paperwork. On her desk sat a stack of forms, reeking of chemical inks, for museum requisitions and inventory. Though each one represented a thing she loved, having to sign them all still bored her immensely. She would much rather be out getting herself into glorious trouble.

A message popped up on her laptop's screen and alerted her with a metallic chime.

"A woman here to see you," her assistant's words read. A prickle went up her neck. Another message followed: "Says you knew each other many years ago. Something about Greece?"

In her haste, she nearly tore her office door off its hinges. 

~end~

 

 

 

 


End file.
